Rail bender



W. E. ROE

RAIL BENDER June 5, 1951 Filed July 14 1948 INVENTOR. M/As if foe fizls' Aiomgy,

Patented June 5, 1951 RAIL BENDER Willis E. Roe, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 14, 1948, Serial No. 38,625

1 Claim.

' This invention relates to rail benders and among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved rail bender characterized by its strength and durability and so constructed that it may be adjusted on a rail quickly with the minimum degree of effort on the part of the operator.

A still further and equally important object of the invention is to provide a rail bender having a symmetrically balanced frame affording three points of contact with the rail, providing equal di-v vision of weight on either side of a central pivoting hook and permitting ease of adjustment of the frame upon the V rail before the frame is bound to the fail by the pressure bending unit or units. i

Another object of the invention is the provision of a rail bender in which there are provided double leverage arms with corresponding pressure fulcrum points using a common center pivoting hook-type contact with the rail, thereby providing reversible application of the frame to the rail so that the center may be used to bend or straighten the rail on either the right or left side of the fulcrum point and on either side of the rail section, thereby making the rail bender adaptable for use at either end of the rail section as well as at any intermediate point for any desired directional bend.

A further and equally important object of the invention is to provide a rail bender in which there are employed two pressure exerting units or either of such units independently of the other, with an arrangement provided by the frame of the rail bender to guide and retain the direct line of pressure force between the rail bender frame as the directional center of applied pressure changes during the process of curving or straightening of the rail.

Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide a rail bender which may be manu factured at an economical cost and one which will be highly efficient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by referenee to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a rail showing my improved rail bender in applied position with respect thereto;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken substantially on line 33. of Fig. 1..

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of my invention is there shown as comprising a frame indicated generally at it. This frame It! includes a transversely extending rib I l of the desired width and reinforcement. Extending from opposite sides of this rib ii are web portions l2 having their peripheral edges substantially reinforced as at 13. These web portions merge into leverage arms l4 having extremities providing bearing heads M which extend outwardly a substantial distance from the webs to provide undercut recesses l5. These bearing heads provide in corresponding faces l5, sockets l8. The bottoms of these sockets is are substantially convex to provide seats On opposite sides of the transversely extending rib l l inwardly of the bearing heads [4, are abutments 2%? having vertical faces recessed to provide undercuts 2! to receive the adjacent side edge portion 22 of the head 24 of the rail 25.

The rib l l provides a reinforced clamping head 26 extending outwardly beyond the abutments 28 and having its under surface recessed as at 21 to receive the head 24 of the rail 25.

My improved rail bender may be used with any type pressure bending unit, which unit may be of the screw, air-operated or hydraulic type. In the present instance for illustrative purposes, I have shown associated with the rail bender a hydraulic bending unit 28 of a well-known construction. There are two of such units employed and each unit is disposed between the bearing head 14 and the side wall of the rail head 24. These units 28 each preferably include a jack head 29. When in applied position this jack head 29 bears against the convex seat I9.

When two pressure units 28 are employed simultaneously with frame I U, bending pressure to rail 25 is equally transferred from abutments 20 to shoes of both pressure units 28 as hearing against the rail 25 and clamping head 26 at point 21 of rib ll, thus causing rail to bend. Certain conditions may require the use of but one of the pressure units. When but a single pressure unit 28 is employed on either side of rib l I, abutment 20 on opposite side of rib l I bears against rail 25 at point 22 and at point 2'! of clamping head 26 of rib i I, thus causing rail 25 to bend.

As before stated, my improved rail bender provides three points of contact with the rail, providingequal division of weight on either side of r the transversely extending rib ll. These three points of contact take place between the rail and the clamping head 26 and between the rail and the abutments 20. The frame may be located with respect to the rail with the rib ll disposed over the line of contact between the rail sections so that the rail section on either or both sides of this point of contact between the ends of the rail sections, may be straightened or bent to a proper line.

It is apparent from the construction herein that the double leverage arms M with corresponding pressure fulcrum points using a common center pivoting clamping jaw, provide a rail bender which is reversible so that the same may be used to bend or straighten the rail on either right or left side of the fulcrum point, or on either side of the rail section, making the device adaptable fo use at either end of the rail section as well as at any intermediate portion for any desired directional bend.

The recessed abutments cooperate with the clamping head 26 to facilitate mounting the frame upon the rail before the frame is bound to the rail by adjustment of the pressure bending units 28. The convex seats formed in the sockets l 8 function to guide and retain the direct line of pressure force between the rail and the bending frame as the directional center of applied pressure changes during the process of curving or straightening the rail.

The frame may be used in applied position without undue exertion on the part of the operator, and in rail bending operation either or both of the pressure bending units may be brought into operation as the conditions and character of the rail require.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A rail bender comprising a body providing intermediate its end portions a horizontally transversely extending rib, one extremity of which provides a rail clamping jaw, abutments provided on one longitudinal edge of said body on opposite sides of and in spaced relation with respect to said rib and adapted to engage the side wall of the head of a rail positioned in said clamping jaw, said abutments being on the same side of the body as the jaw on said rib, arms on the opposite longitudinal edge of said body and extendinglaterally therefrom beyond and in spaced relation to said abutments and providing bearing heads in spaced confronting relation with respect to said side wall of the head of said rail, and pressure bending units arranged on opposite sides of said rib equi-distant therefrom and between said bearing heads and said side wall of the head of said rail, said bearing heads being recessed to provide a socket with a convex bottom wall to receive the adjacent head portion of the pressure bearing units, said abutments being recessed to receive the adjacent edge portion of said rail head, said clamping jaw being located in spaced relationship to the plane of the abutments.

WILLIS E. ROE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,612,173 Bishop Dec. 28, 1926 1,658,792 Bushey Feb. 14, 1928 1,735,128 Prather Nov. 12, 1929 1,868,556 Williams July 26, 1932 

